Category: Golden State Warriors

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Walking wounded–W’s Durant, Livingston, & Barnes, Portland McCullum, Crabbe, and Nurkic

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yahoo.com photo: The Golden State Warriors Kevin Durant is unlikely for game two in Oakland vs. the Portland Trailblazers on Wednesday night

By David Zizmor

OAKLAND–The Portland Trailblazers are in trouble they have huge injuries going into game two tonight vs. the Golden State Warriors at Oracle Arena with CJ McCullum, Allen Crabbe, and Jusuf Nurkic. These injuries are going to no doubt impact the Trailblazers, Jusuf Nurkic got traded mid season he comes over to the Blazers and he’s kind of the big guy with the rebounding and his presence and he helped sparked their second half run and help propel them into the post season.

The Warriors will be sitting Kevin Durant, Matt Barnes, and Shawn Livingston and how much will this impact the Warriors they’ll find out tonight in game two. They’ll miss Barnes out of the line up and he’s kind of a pit bull for Golden State but he’s not the guy whose going to make a difference for the Warriors. When your talking about Livingston he’s a key guy off the bench. Durant is Kevin Durant the good news these aren’t serious injuries, their not long term injuries it’s not like what they had before.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Giants battle the Rockies, persistent rain, only to come up one run short 4-3

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By Morris Phillips

SAN FRANCISCO–After an unscheduled interruption during the national anthem, five extra base hits and six runs in a first inning played in a vigorous downpour, and the groundskeeping crew’s constant resuscitating of the playing surface, the hearty fans that braved it all had to feel they were into an epic afternoon of topsy, turvy baseball injected with frequent scoring.

Instead the rain eased, the pitching soared, and the scoring all but drived up.  And the hero of the afternoon didn’t tote a bat, but carried a catcher’s glove and assisted on a putout at first base.  But what a play.

With the Giants threating to push across the tying run in the sixth, Brandon Crawford hit a dribbler up the line that figuratively died. But Tony Wolters shed his mask, raced to the ball, took airborne, and unleashed an accurate flip to first baseman Mark Reynolds for the out. SportsCenter? You bet.

Take away the moisture and Wolters’ gymnastics, and the Giants’ issue of  the moment– scoring too few runs–couldn’t have been more apparent.  Jeff Samardzija, who fell to 0-3 after the Giants’ 4-3 loss, allowed three of those runs in his first 15 pitches.  With the Giants’ offense sputtering for the majority of the afternoon, Samardzija’s early hiccup couldn’t be overcome.

“We need to figure out a way to scratch one or two across when we need them to close the gap,” Samardzija said. “That comes from not letting runs in early, so you can take the lead.”

The Giants fell to 5-8 on the season with the loss, with a trip to Kansas City to face the Royals up next.  The Rockies grabbed three of four in the series and improved to 8-5.

The rain left the field waterlogged, especially along the tracks and in the corners.  But the Giants’ groundskeeping crew worked tirelessly to minimize the moisture only to be thanklessly chased off the field at points by the time conscious umpires.  The rain was its most intense in the first two innings. It eased after that, but never ceased.

The Giants haven’t experienced a rain out at home in 10 years with the last one coming in 2006 against the Astros. By comparison, the A’s did rain out with their home game set to start at the same time as the Giants.  But with the Warriors hosting a playoff game next door, and far fewer A’s tickets sold that Giants’ tickets, economics may have explained the team’s different approaches to the weather, more so than the Giants’ more reliable field drainage system.

Petaluma’s Madeline Haedt sang the national anthem, and did so flawlessly until an unscheduled interruption half way through.  But after gathering herself, and clearing her throat, she finished flawlessly as well.

The Warriors slug it out with the Portland TrailBlazers for three periods before putting the game away in the fourth 121-109

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Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum, center, drives between Golden State Warriors forward David West (3) and guard Ian Clark (21) during the second half of Game 1 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, April 16, 2017. The Warriors won 121-109. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors began their quest for a second championship in the last three season by defeating the Portland TrailBlazers 121-109. The Blazers, coached by Terry Stotts, gave the Dubs a tussle for the first three periods The Blazer’s backcourt of C.J.McCollum and Oakland native, Damien Lillard were on fire, especially in the first half.  McCollum (27) and Lillard (21) tallied 48 of the Blazers’ 56 points. The Dubs led by four 31-27 at the end of the quarter but the Blazers outscored the Dubs by four in the second quarter to tie the game at the half.

Both teams played fantastic basketball in the third period. Neither team would give an inch. Eleven of the twenty lead changes in the game came in the third period. Neither team could pull away, but the Dubs defense started to assert itself. Draymond Green blocked a shot that sent the fans into a frenzy. Steph Curry led the Warriors’ offense. He had help from Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, and JaVale McGee. However, the Blazers stayed with the Dubs, and the score was tied at 88 at the end of 36 minutes of play.  However, the fourth quarter belonged to one Draymond Green whose will and intensity lit up Oracle Arena. The Defense imposed its will on the Blazers as the Dubs went on a 15-2 run to start the fourth quarter. Portland was one-for-eleven from the floor as the Warriors opened up a thirteen-point lead 103-90. Draymond continued to block shots, deflect passes, make steals and utterly confound the Portland players. Ian Clark, starting the fourth quarter, scored 7 points early in the period that seemed to knock the starch out Portland. Kevin Durant continued to shine in his first game in the playoffs as a warrior. The Dubs won game one of the best of 7 series 121-109.

Game Notes and Stats. The Warriors announced that forward Matt Barnes, who suffered a bruised knee and missed the last two games of the season, will return to action. The Blazers are hoping their big center Jusuf Nurkic, will be available Wednesday. Nurkic suffered a broken bone in his leg and will play if he can tolerate the pain. Nurkic came to Portland from Denver at the trade deadline. Nurkic helped the Blazers right the ship, and they were able to make the playoffs as the eighth seed.

KD led the Warrior attack with 32 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double. Steph Curry finished the night with 29 points,4 assists, 5 boards, and he blocked a shot. Klay Thompson scored 15. The man of the game, Draymond Green, had a double-double, too. Green scored 19 points, 9 assists, 12 rebounds, 5 blocked shots, and 3 steals. The Warrior bench outscored the Blazer bench 22-9. C.J.MCollum finished with 41. Damien Lillard kicked in with 34. Evan Turner had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Maurice Harkless finished with 11.

Steph Curry had this to say about the play of McCollum and Lillard. “When they got it going, they’re hitting tough shots in the first half, some you just have to live with.” “They were able to finish, but over the course of 48, you just try to wear them down.” Kevin Durant talked about his evening’s work this way:” the game ratchets up when you get to the playoffs. I definitely felt good out there.”

The Warriors meet the Blazers for Game 2 Wednesday night at Oracle Arena. Game time is at 7:30 pm.

Extra Dribbles: Durant shows he’s ready for long postseason run with Warriors

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Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry (30) celebrates during the second half of Game 1 of a first-round NBA basketball playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, April 16, 2017. The Warriors won 121-109. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — The whole basketball world knows that the only way that it’s championship-or-bust for the Golden State Warriors this season.

Even after leading the NBA in wins for a third-straight season (67-15), if the Warriors don’t bring home their second Larry O’Brien trophy in three years, the 2016-17 season will be considered a failure.

Period.

But forward Kevin Durant and the top-seeded Warriors look like they are ready to claim their rightful place as the best team in the NBA at the end of June, after holding off the visiting eighth-seeded Portland Trail Blazers 121-109 victory Sunday in front of frenzied, sold out Oracle Arena in Game 1 of the first-round series.

Here are a few of my takeaways from Golden State’s win:

Durant is big time: Durant finished with a team-high 32 points to go along with 10 rebounds in his playoff debut with Golden State. Durant shot 12 of 20 from the floor and showed no signs of a player who missed 19 games in the second half before returning for the Warriors’ final three games of the season due to a recent knee injury.

“The game ratchets up when you get into the playoffs,” Durant said after the game. “I definitely felt good out there.”

Entering Sunday’s playoff game, Durant is averaging 28.8 points and eight rebounds per game in 91 career playoff games, according to ESPN Stats and Information.

Another day at the office for Mr. Green: Draymond Green continues to be the heartbeat of the Warriors and it was business as usual for Green after recording a near triple-double, finishing with 19 points, 12 rebounds, nine assists, five blocked shots (two that kept Oracle buzzing), and three steals.

With all due respect to Durant, Stephen Curry (29 points, 9/19 FG, 5 REB, 4 AST) and Klay Thompson (15 points, 6/16 FG, 1/6 3FG), Green is vital for Golden State to win the title this year. Green is the emotional leader of the team, the guy who brings his lunchbox and hard hat to work game-in, game-out, and possibly, the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year this season.

Trail Blazers have Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum, but not much more: McCollum tied a Trail Blazers franchise record for most points in the first half of a playoff game with 27, and Damian Lilliard scored 21 points as Portland’s backcourt combined to score 48 of the team’s 56 points at half time.

McCollum finished with a playoff career-high 41 points on 16 of 28 and eight rebounds, while Lillard scored 34 points on 12 of 26 shooting and five rebounds.

According to ESPN Stats and Information, Lillard and McCollum are the first Trail Blazers teammates to score 34 or more points in a playoff game since Clyde Drexler and Terry Porter on May 19, 1992. Their 75 points were two off the franchise playoff record by teammates.

That sounds all good,  but Portland won’t win a game in the series if their star-studded backcourt has to continue to shoulder the load and not get any help from the role players.

Maurice Harkless was the only other Trail Blazer who had double-digit shot attempts (5/13 FG) and finished with 11 points. Evan Turner scored 12 points.

Portland’s bench was missing in action, scoring just nine points, while reserve guard Ian Clark scored 12 of Golden State’s 22 points off the bench.

The Trail Blazers were without center Jusuf Nurkic, who missed the game with a non-displaced fracture in his right leg.

Game 2 is Wednesday back in Oakland. Golden State is hoping that reserve forward Matt Barnes, who didn’t play in Game 1 due to an ankle injury, is ready to go.

Golden State held the rebounding edge (45-38) and shot 53.1% (43/81 FG) from the floor, while holding Portland to 43% shooting (40/93 FG) for the game.

 

 

 

Golden State Finishes The Season In Warrior Style 109-94

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By Barbara Mason

Wednesday night the Golden State Warriors played their final game of the regular season: game number 82. They took on the 26 and 55 Los Angeles Lakers. Everyone played for the Warriors using this game as a sort of post-season warm-up. Only two teams in the NBA have records worse than the Lakers.

At the end of the first quarter Golden State was leading by the score of 43-28. Kevin Durant led the scoring with 15 points in the quarter. Both teams were shooting at 50% in this game.

At halftime the Warriors had a healthy lead 64-50 and Kevin Durant continued to lead the pack with scoring points at 24. Curry had scored ten points in the first half.

After three quarters the Warriors had extended their lead outscoring the Lakers 29 to 20. The score was 93-70 with one more quarter left on the season.

To the Lakers credit they continued to fight throughout the fourth quarter outscoring the Warriors 24-16. The final score was 109-94. Kevin Durant finished with 29 monster points. He is definitely back and it didn’t take very long at all. The Warriors post-season journey will begin on Sunday against Portland

Golden State Warriors podcast with David Zizmor: Utah loss an after thought Warriors good and ready for post season

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Utah Jazz forward Joe Ingles (2) drives to the basket against the Golden State Warriors during the second half of an NBA basketball game Monday, April 10, 2017, in Oakland, Calif. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

by David Zizmor

OAKALND–The loss the other night to the Utah Jazz for the Golden State Warriors was like an exhibition game they have home court sewed up and that’s all throughout the playoffs The Warriors are 66-15. You still don’t want to lay down because Utah is playing tough and Utah is trying to get a home court game for post season and the home court advantage in that first round against the Clippers.

Even Utah is not in dire straits at this point of the season and the Jazz are trying to get their spot in the playoffs. The Warriors got down a little bit early they fought back at the end of the third quarter and the game was basically tied and the Jazz pulled away in the fourth quarter and won it 105-99. The Warriors wrap up the regular season with the Los Angeles Lakers Wednesday night.

David Zizmor does the Warriors podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Golden State Warriors Monday game wrap: Utah Gets One Over On Golden State–105-99 ends 14 game win streak

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George Hill scores 20 points as the Utah Jazz beat the Golden State Warriors 105-99 (AFP Photo/MATTHEW STOCKMAN)

By Barbara Mason

With only two games left in the regular season the Golden State Warriors took on the Utah Jazz at Oracle Arena in a Monday night contest. Klay Thompson sat out the game for some much needed rest while Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant handled Utah. Head Coach Steve Kerr expects everyone to play in their final season game Wednesday as a sort of post season tune-up.

Despite Curry shooting 21 points in the first half the Jazz continued to hang around. Despite a myriad of injuries the Jazz have managed to find a way into the play-offs as a 4th or 5th seed. (still to be determined) They have to win out and that means getting past the Warriors. Were it not for those injuries who knows how good they really could have been. The score at the half was 51-49 with the Warriors leading and shooting just over 50%. Trailing by as much as ten points in the half, Golden State was gearing up to dominate the second half.

The Warrior domination in the third quarter did not materialize. Utah hung tough throughout the quarter and after three quarters the game was dead even at 74. Through three nothing had been decided.

Mid-way through the final quarter Utah had a slim lead 88-84. The Jazz were executing beautifully trying to stay alive for home court in the playoffs. With 2:36 left in this high level game Golden State was still trailing 96-91. McAdoo came up with a three-pointer to narrow the Jazz lead to 96-94. The deeper reserves had all the pressure on them with 2:09 left in the game.

With 1:19 left the Jazz had all but put this game away 101-94. The final was 105-99 and Utah had upset Golden State and kept their home court advantage hopes alive. The game leaders were Steph Curry with 28 points while the Jazz’s George Hill had 20. This gave us just a glimpse of the high energy that we are all about to experience in the playoffs. It’s definitely going to be a good time out!!!

The Warriors blow out the New Orleans Pelicans, Kevin Durant returns

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by Jerry Feitelberg

Oakland- The Golden State Warriors welcomed superstar Kevin Durant back into the lineup Saturday night against the New Orleans Pelicans. Steph Curry did not play, as he had a bone contusion suffered in the game against Phoenix last Wednesday in Phoenix. Shaun Livingston started in Steph’s spot, and the Warriors rolled over the undermanned Pelicans 123-101. The Pelicans’ DeMarcus Cousins was out with a sore Achilles tendon and is done for the season. The Pelicans other offensive star, Anthony Davis, was given the night off by head coach Alvin Gentry.

Durant, who hadn’t played since February 28th, made his presence felt as he scored the first bucket of the game. The Dubs, however, were a bit sluggish in the first quarter. The Pelicans, playing without their two best players, gave the Dubs a tussle and led 14-13 with 3:37 left in the period. Steve Kerr inserted Andre Iguodala and JaVale McGee into the game, and they energized the Dubs into a 10-3 run to finish the quarter with a 23-17 lead. Andre channeled Steph as he hit a three-point shot at the buzzer.

The Pelicans trailed by twelve early in the second quarter but went on a 13-0 run to lead 34-31. The Dubs regained the lead behind the play of KD, Ian Clark, Shaun Livington, Draymond Green and finished the period on a 12-4 run to lead 54-46 at the half. Klay Thompson led the Dubs with 10, KD had 6, Draymond 8, and Andre Iguodala 8. Alexis Ajinca paced the Pelicans with 13, and Quinn Cook tallied 11 coming off the bench.

The Dubs blew the game wide open in the third quarter. They outscored the Pelicans 39-22, and they looked like the Warriors. They moved the ball and found the open man. Durant, who looked a bit rusty earlier in the game, found his rhythm and looked like the KD of old. He finished the night with a double-double. He did not, however, make a 3-pointer. Klay Thompson, just as Andre had done in the first period, hit a three-pointer to end the third period. The Warriors led 93-68 and were on their way to their 14th straight victory.

The Warrior offense didn’t slow done in the fourth quarter either.  Iguodala scored the first 3 buckets of the period. Ian Clark, Kevin Durant, Shaun Livingston, and JaVale McGee all played well.  The Warriors win 123-101.

Game Notes and Stats- The one sour note in the game is that reserve forward Matt Barnes suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter. Barnes hobbled down to the locker room, and X-Rays were negative. There was no information available about his condition at this time.

The Warriors had 7 players in double figures. Klay led the team with 20 points, KD had a double-double as he tallied 16 points, 6 assists, and 10 rebounds. Draymond had 13, Shaun,14, Andre 15, McGee 16, and Ian Clark 17. The Dubs shot 51% from the floor and made 10 3-point shots. The Pelicans Quinn Cook scored 22, Jordan Crawford, also off the bench, knocked 21, Alexis Ajinca 17, and Jrue Holiday had a double-double with 10 points and 10 assists.

The Warriors outrebounded New Orleans 53-34. The Dubs had 36 assists and recorded 2 steals and 3 blocks.

The Warriors improve to 66-14 while the Pelicans fall to 33-47.

Before the game, Kevin Durant was asked how he felt about returning to action after missing 20 games. Durant said this “I felt normal. I’ve been waiting for that feeling for a couple of weeks now.” It took a while, but he did look like his old self in the second half. Welcome back, KD.

The Warriors resume play Monday night against the Utah Jazz. Steph Curry will be in the lineup. The Warriors will likely face the Portland Trailblazers in the first round of the playoffs. The Blazers magic number is one. Any combination of Blazer wins, or Denver losses will put the Blazers in the 8th seed.The Blazers own the tiebreaker.

The Warriors defeat the Suns 120-111, clinch home-court advantage throughout the playoffs

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by Jerry Feitelberg

The Golden State Warriors, playing without defensive standouts Draymond Green and Andre, Iguodala, beat the Phoenix Suns 120-111 to clinch the best record in the Western Conference for the third straight season. The Warriors won their thirteenth game in a row and now own a 65-14 record. They play the next three games at home, and Kevin Durant will return to action Saturday night against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Warriors behind Steph Curry’s torrid first period raced out to a 43-20 lead early in the second quarter. Stephy scored 23 points in the quarter, but the Suns were not willing to roll ver and play dead. The Suns got their act together and finished the first half trailing 58-52.

The Warriors behind Steph and Klay Thompson were able to keep the Dubs in the lead. The young Suns were not able to catch the Warriors, and the Dubs won the game.

Game Notes and Stats- Steph Curry had a fantastic game as he led the Dubs with 42 points, 11 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals. Klay Thompson finished with 22. None of the bench players made double-figures, but they all contributed to the win. James Michael McAdoo, Matt Barnes, JaVale McGee, and David West all scored 8 points. Patrick McCaw finished the night with nine.Scoring leaders for Phoenix were Devin Booker with 21, Tyler Ulis 20, Jared Dudley 19, and Alan Williams 16. Williams pulled down 17 rebounds for the Suns.

The Warriors shot 50% from the floor and made 13 3-point shots. Steph led the Dubs with 8 3-pointers. They held Phoenix to just 41.7%  shooting. On defense, the Warriors made 13 steals and had 9 blocks.

The Warriors meet the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday night at Oracle Arena.

 

 

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News and Commentary: A’s-Angels one run games keeping things interesting; Astros expected to be the top team in the A.L. West

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Oakland Athletics’ Sonny Gray throws during a spring training baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

By Amaury Pi Gonzalez

OAKLAND–Let’s see how the A’s can play as a cohesive unit because your competing in a very tough division you have the Astros with Jose Altuve and Carlos Carrea. The Astros who can do a lot of damage with players like George Springer, Nori Aoki, and Carlos Beltran. There are future MVPs on the Astros who have batting titles like Altuve who has two titles under his belt. Then you have the Texas Rangers that won the division and are loaded with talent.

For the A’s they aren’t expected to compete but they like to beat the underdog and right now their playing competitive baseball with the Angels through the first two games. There in a situation that one expects them to do much and the national media are expecting the A’s to be another last place team. The Angels have Albert Pujols and Mike Trout and look forward to break out year.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish Angels TV talent, the Spanish A’s radio talent, and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com